Maj. Gen. Cliver Alcala, ruling party lawmaker Freddy Bernal, alternate president of the Latin American Parliament Amilcar Figueroa and intelligence official Ramon Madriz were added to the U.S. sanctions list, a statement said. Treasury accuses them of aiding the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, often directly supporting the group’s narcotics and arms trafficking activity.

Venezuelan President Chavez said he will promote to the title of “General In Chief” Henry Rangel Silva, who is on the U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Control blacklist. He was designated by the Treasury Department in September 2008 for allegedly providing material support the Colombian rebel group FARC in its narcotics trafficking activity and for pushing for better relations between Venezuela and the FARC rebels.

Venezuela lost $33 billion, or 10% of gross domestic product, in 2008 alone to illicit financial outflows, according to estimates from a forthcoming report from research group Global Financial Integrity.

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